Inside Raisina Hill: GST Tribunal Stuck, Babus Ask If CBDT Chief Will Get Extension

As one walks down the Hill along the Rajpath, now renamed Kartavya Path, come other edifices — Rail Bhavan, Krishi Bhavan, and Shashtri Bhavan on one side and Sena Bhavan, Udyog Bhavan, and Vanijya Bhavan on the other. The bureaucrats who adorn the offices in these buildings decide on India's economic, social, and industrial policies. There are many tales to be told from the corridors of these grandiose buildings. We let you in on some of them here in this week's edition of "Inside Raisina Hill".

GSTAT Drama: Tribunal In Limbo, Babus Play Musical Chairs

The much-hyped Goods and Services Tax Appellate Tribunal (GSTAT) was expected to be operational by December 2024. But surprise, surprise — mid-2025 is here, and it’s still stuck in bureaucratic quicksand.

There are whispers that the initial push in early 2024 had all the right ingredients: Flashy advertisements, an enthusiastic search-cum-selection committee, and interviews with over a hundred hopefuls in May and June. But just as things were heating up, the paperwork hit a wall. The committee’s meeting minutes weren’t even signed!

And here’s the twist — then Revenue Secretary Sanjay Malhotra (IAS: 1990: RJ), who was steering the process, packed his bags and marched off to Mint Street as the new RBI Governor, leaving the selection drive in limbo.

Fast-forward to May 31, 2025. A fresh round of selections was attempted, but the saga took another dramatic turn. One judicial member applicant knocked on the doors of the Odisha High Court, freezing the entire process. Result? A second failed attempt to fill the 72 all-important posts of technical and judicial members.

To add to the chaos, states are dragging their feet — many haven’t even named their quota members or allocated office space. As of today, GSTAT doesn’t have an address, a team, or even a confirmed line-up of members.

So, while tax disputes pile up, India’s GST tribunal remains a phantom institution — long promised, frequently discussed, but nowhere in sight.

Will CBDT Boss Stay On? 

With June drawing to a close, whispers are swirling louder than ever in North Block’s echoing corridors: Will Ravi Agrawal, the usually low-profile but fiercely straight-talking Chairman of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), finally hang up his boots — or is another surprise extension on the cards?

Agrawal, an IRS officer, has already enjoyed a generous nine-month extension. Now, as his term ticks toward its expiry, Delhi’s Babu grapevine is in full swing. Some insiders say a three-month extension is “almost certain” to see him through the upcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament. Others aren’t so sure. “Agrawal doesn’t play to the gallery. That makes him a hard man to predict,” quipped a source in the know.

But what’s fuelling the speculation? Apparently, the Income Tax Bill, 2025 — first tabled in February and now resting with the Select Committee — could become the hot potato of the Monsoon Session. Continuity at the top, say watchers, might be crucial to navigate the choppy waters of legislative scrutiny.

“Don’t be surprised if the file moves at the last minute,” winked an official familiar with such bureaucratic ballet. After all, in Raisina Hill, a quiet man often makes the biggest noise.

So, will Agrawal bow out gracefully, or will he notch up yet another term? Stay tuned — the taxman might just have one more twist in his tale.

IAS Void In The Horizon

Come June 30, as many as 38 IAS officers belonging to different cadres and batches will hang up their boots, which will mark a significant transition at senior levels of the civil services.

The retiring officers are from the AGMUT, Andhra Pradesh, Assam-Meghalaya, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Nagaland, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal cadres.

Prominent among these are Ajay Seth and Atul Kumar Tiwari of the Karnataka cadre, Chetan Bhushan Sanghi, Umang Narula of the AGMUT cadre, Sujata Chaturvedi of the Bihar cadre and Amitabh Jain of the Chhattisgarh cadre.

Seth, a 1987-batch IAS officer, is currently the Secretary, Department of Economic Services in the Ministry of Finance. His superannuation will throw open an important position in the government. 

Tiwari, a 1990-batch IAS officer, is currently the Secretary of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE). Sanghi, a 1988-batch IAS officer, is currently the Financial Commissioner in the government of NCT of Delhi. Chaturvedi, a 1989-batch IAS officer, is a member of the UPSC board.

The state cadre to see the maximum number (five) of IAS officers to superannuate is Maharashtra: Sujata Saunik, Dinesh T Waghmare, Raosaheb B Bhagade, Rajeev D Nivatkar and Hiralal Sapurda Sonawane.

From Gujarat, three promoted IAS officers D K Baria, D M Solanki and B K Vasava will also hang up their boots. Two promoted IAS officers of the Punjab cadre, Gaggandip Singh Brar and Harbir Singh will also retire. 

Race For Delhi CP Hots Up

With Delhi Police Commissioner Sanjay Arora set to retire on July 31, a major brainstorming has begun in the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to find his replacement. Speculations are also rife in the NCR Police Department.

Two names are doing the rounds as frontrunners — Satish Golcha and Praveer Ranjan. 

Golcha, a 1992-batch IPS officer of the AGMUT cadre, is currently the Director General of Tihar Jail. He assumed the charge on May 1, 2024. Earlier, he was Special Commissioner (Intelligence) in the Delhi Police and DGP of Arunachal Pradesh. He has long experience in intelligence operations, internal security, and administrative work.

Ranjan, a 1993 batch IPS officer of the AGMUT cadre is currently ADG in the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF). From 2021 to 2024, he had held the position of the DGP of Chandigarh and Special Commissioner (Crime) in Delhi. His image has been of a strong, policy-oriented, and strict administrator.

There are rumours of a new name in the race too, after the MHA decided to shift Anil Shukla, a 1995-batch IPS officer of the AGMUT cadre, to Delhi from Mizoram, where he was the Director General of Police (DGP). 

Sources say that since two back-to-back CPs — Arora (IPS: 1988: TN) and Rakesh Asthana (IPS: 1984: Gujarat) — were not from the parent cadre, the new appointee this time would be from the AGMUT cadre. 

Return To Sender

In an unusual move, the government has demoted Union Bank of India Executive Director (ED) Pankaj Dwivedi to General Manager (GM).

The gazette notification by the Department of Financial Services said: "The Central Government hereby cancels the appointment of Pankaj Dwivedi as ED, Union Bank of India, made vide Department of Financial Services' notification no 4/312023 dated March 27, 2024."

The government reverted him to his previous post as General Manager in the Punjab & Sind Bank. According to sources, the decision was taken as a case is pending against Dwivedi in the Delhi High Court, where it has been pointed out in a PIL filed last year that his appointment as ED, UBI violated regulations due to the lack of necessary vigilance clearance.

A bench headed by then acting Chief Justice Manmohan issued a notice on the PIL in August 2024 to the Centre, the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC), and Dwivedi, asking how the appointment was made in the absence of a nod by the vigilance authority.